Apparatus for producing wrought metal



July 21. 1925,I 1,546,964'

. E.'F. laLEsslNca APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING WROUGHT METAL A Filed Jan. 8. 1924 7/ INVENTOR.

AHORA/EMS` Patented .luly 2l., lZi.

` UNIE r EDGAR IF. BLESSING, F EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR FLROID'UCINQ?y WRUGHT METAL.

.application filed January 1924;. Serial No. 684,923.

tion and the annexed drawi descripillustrative form of apparatus by Which my novel processmay be practised. Y

In the drawings, l is a side elevation,

*partly in section, of my illustrative form of apparatus' Fig. 2 is a vertical middle section of the furnace shown in l, and Fig. 3 is the same furnace-as shown in digs. 1 and 2, but turned to a different po, tion.

Like reference characters indicate like parts in the different views.

In the illustrative apparatus shown iuY the drawings, .l0 is a furnace having a metal shell ll and lined With the usual refractory lining. The furnace is provider with trunnions 1.3 and lll, mounted on supporting rollers 3 5, and provided with means for oscillating the furnace, such as the pulleys I6, by which the furnace may be turned on the rollers 15. The trunnions l?) and lll are hollow and may be made to coiu-` municate with the ducts or flues in stacks li" at either end of the furnace. The fuel burners 18 may also be provided as shown more or less diagrammatically in Fig. l, or anyk other suitable means for heatingithe furnace may be used.

A door 19, pivoted at 20, and held in position by any suitable fasteners, such as 2l, is located in the side of the furnace.

In the illustrative embodiment, the re.- fractory surface or lining constitutes what Y arc,in fact, a series of hearths or receptacles, each constructed so that a different step of the cycle can be effectively carried out in each of these portions of the furnace.

Referring to the section shown in 2,

the part 22, struck on the relatively long radius 22, is used asa refining hearth while the metal is lprincipally in the liquid state. By reason-otite long radius of curvature, this portion is relatively flat, so that when e thechargeis resting on this portion 22, as

it Would be When the furnaceis in the position shown in Fig. 2, the charge is spread over a larger area with a relatively shallow depth. Consequently, the oxidizing' slag,

which tends to float on the surface of the bath, will be brought into more intimate relation with the iron of the bath than if the portion 22 were relatively deep and of small area.

At the left-hand end of Fig. 2, a portion 23 of the refractory surface is shaped so as to be effectivein the second operation, that of turning the metal. Preferably, `l'. arrange thisportion of the hearth so that it has a relatively abrupt termination, as at 2li, vvith a part on a radius 23 arranged to connect the relatively flat portion 22 with the abrupt portion 24, the latter being struck on the radius 24. Preferably, for the salie of uniformity, VI make the righthand end of the furnace, as shown in Fig. 2, of the'same shape as the left-hand end of 2, though this will not be essential, and in some cases may not be desirable.

In the illustrative embodiment, opposite therelatively flat portion 22, I provide a balling section which, preferably, is a more or less ,semisspherical recess or pocket 25, with its surface connecting with the surface 2-1, preferably so as to avoid any abrupt curves, but also preferably arranged so that there will be sufficient curvature to provide an arch for locking in the refractory lining.

In my preferred form, I make the sides of the furnace, asshovvn best in Fig. l, ta pering toward each other from the flat section 22 to the balling section 25 for reasons to be pointed. out more fully hereinafter` In the illustrative form, the balling section 25 is removably connected to the shell 1l by means of stud bolts 26 passing through the removable shell 27 supporting the lining of the balling section 25. If desired, the removable shell 27 may be hinged to be removable instead of being bodily removable, as illustrated. I preferably m alte this balling section removable so that the lining thereof may be readily replaced and, moreover, so that in the event that the iron has not been Worked so as to produce a proper ball which may be discharged through the door 19 in the usual manner, the ballingv section 25 Vmay be ldropped toV remove the charge from the furnace.

Vilith the furnace ljust described, the molten iron and the oxidizing slag orrea gent are charged in the furnace When it is in the position shown in Fig. 2, and the charge inelted and the furnace rocked back and forth to cause the thorough inixture of the slag` and the iron. rilhe doorl 19 is preferably positioned so that the charge or bath will be carried across 'the door during this refining operation. door, I preferably wash the cinder around the door before the furnace is charged with iron.

After the refining process is substantially completed and the iron begins to drop, due to the elimination of the inajor part of its carbon or shortly thereafter but before it .is welded into a inass, the furnace is rolled to a position approximately 90 froin that shown in Fig. 2, with the charge on the portions 23 and 2li. The iron is now coming to nature and should be turned to bring the particles which have been on the bottom to the top, so that the remaining portion of the carbon and other impurities can be contacted by the Haine and the slag. l,Vith the furnace in this` position, it is rocked back and forth, so that the charge passes up the ab upt portion 2l, which obviously will cause it to turnover, this operation being assisted by the narrowing of the portions 2S and 24E because of the angle of the side walls of th furnace. During this turning operation, additional heat is supplied, as is usual, and when the/iron is ready to ball the furnace is turned quickly into the position shown in Fig. 3, which causes the charge to slide into the balling .section 25 and, because the iron is now plastic and the particles will cohere by inere contact and weight, the entire mass will be turned into a spongy ball, which can then be discharged through the door 19 by turning the furna ce through 990. t willvbe noted that the balling section 25 is also narrower than the portion 24, and this, of course, crowds the ends of the char "e inward to tend to ina a incre or less roi ded forni or ball. Pr

LL erably, l niaie this hailing section 425 inore or less lieinisplierical, as shown in Fig' l and 2, but soinewhat the saine results be obtained by inerely continuing the angle of the sidy walls to the furnace downward in Fig. 1, with a more or less fiat bottoin to the balling section in the direction of the of rotation of the furnace.

lf desired, the ball uiay be further coinpacted by turn' g the furnace so that the ball will pass iroin the balling section Z5 back over the surface 2? and the surface 22 to the doorv 19, instead of directly frein the ballingj,l .section 25 to the door 19.

t will also be obvious that inany of the advantages of iny invention could be obtained by modifying one or more of the sections. lfor instance, the advantages of the lateral narrowing of the furnace from the L which is used as a refining section to ln order to seal the eration to accelerate that operation. Furthermore, it would be advantageous in a i nace which is entirely cylindrical and without any pocket or recess for the balling if the lato" il walls were angled so as to produce a 4 i-.inace which iz'ould be wide at one part and narrower at another, bec use in finch a race, the relativelyv part could be used for the refining operation and the relatively narrow part for the turning i Y billing stops. lt will also be under stood that while the parti `ular shape which l have given is my preferred forni, the relative dimensions of the several sections of the furnace and the degree of curvature nia y be widely Varied without departing freni niyY iui'ention.

l claim:

:irnace heffingr a continuous ntcru` rciiictory hearth su 4race in a plane to tl e anis of rotation with walls of the furnace angularly disposed to each other.

i rotan' furnace haring a continuons ce in a plane internal refractory hearth surv 1 at right-an "les to theaxis of rotation, and

with portiers. of the hearth surface nan rower than other portion.LA of theliearth surface.

a continiious fla'ce in a plane a if tion, said h i, =.f .ff ction relativelf.y long and s i :Jection adjacent the ref] ing section lia l' a portion the f abruptly curved and cent tl e tu g -cct j I.ct-,Try hearth sues to the anis rotation, said l aying a refining section relatively longl and shallow, a turning section adjacent J Cul lli)

abruptly curved and a balling section adjacent the turning 4section and comprising a depression or pocket in the hearth surface, the refining section being wider than the balling section.

6. A rotary furnace having a continuous internal refractory hearth surface in a plane at right-angles to the axis of rotation, said hearth having a refining section relatively long and shallow, a turning section adjacent the refining section having a portion thereof abruptly curved and a balling section adjacent the turning section and comprising a depression or pocket in the hearth surface, each of the sections being narrower than the preceding section in the order named.

7. yA rotary furnace comprising a metal shell with a continuous hearth surface of refractory material inside of the shell, a portion of themetal shell being removably con- Y nected to thel main portion of the shell and arranged to permit the portion of the hearth supported on said removable portion to be removed when said detachable portion is opened.

8. A rotary furnace comprising a metal shell with a continuous hearth surface of refractory material inside of the shell, a portion of the metal shell being removably connected to the main portion of the shell and arranged to permit the portion of the hearth supported on said removable portion to be removed when said removable portion is opened, said removable portion of the shell lwith its refractory lining forming a pocket in the hearth surface.

9. ln a puddling and balling furnace, a rotatory .furnace body having a channel interior thereof through which the molten meta-l is caused to flow, the walls of said channel being angularly disposed in such a manner as to produce side pressure on the molten metal during its movement through said channel.

l0. A rotatable puddling furnace having opposite end walls and a continuously curved hearth varying in curvature to providel successively a broad shallow cavity, an adjacent deeper cavity merging thereinto, and a still deeper balling cavity.

l1.. A rotatable puddling `furnace having opposite end walls and a continuouslyl curved Y tinuously curving and undulating hearth surface of varying width. V

13. A rotatable puddling furnace having opposite end walls and an intervening continuous hearth providing at one side a broad shallow concave bath surface, an abruptlyT deep curved balling pocket at the other side, and an intervening curved portion of intermediate depth and curvature.

14. A rotatable puddling furnace having opposite end walls and an intervening con- Y tinuous hearth providing at one side a broad shallow concave bath surface, an abruptly deep curved balling pocket at the other side,

and endmost concave pockets of intermediate depth. Y

l5. A rotatable puddling furnace having opposite end walls and an intervening continuous hearth providing at one side a broad shallow concave bath surface, anV abruptly deep curved balling pocket at the other side, and endmost concave pockets of inter1nediate depth with a closing door forming a portion of the hearth and wall.

i6. A rotatable puddling furnace having opposite end walls and an intervening continuous hearth Vof approximately oval form ,in cross section interrupted by an outwardly extending balling pocket opposite the middie portion of the inner shallow concave side wall.

EDGAR F. BLESSING. 

